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{{Short description|Benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness}}
{{About}}
{{redirect|Merciful|people called "the Merciful"|List of people known as the Merciful}}
[[File:1605 Francken sieben Werke der Barmherzigkeit anagoria.JPG |thumb|''The Seven [[Works of Mercy]]'', by [[Frans II Francken]], 1605.]]
'''Mercy''' ([[Middle English]], from [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-French]]
▲'''Mercy''' ([[Middle English]], from [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-French]] ''merci'', from [[Medieval Latin]] ''merced-'', ''merces'', from [[Latin]], "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is [[wikt:benevolence|benevolence]], [[forgiveness]], and [[kindness]] in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and [[Law|legal]] contexts.
In the social and legal context, mercy may refer both to compassionate behavior on the part of those in power (e.g. mercy shown by a judge toward a convict), or on the part of a humanitarian third party
The concept of a merciful God appears in various religions, including [[Hinduism]], [[Christianity]], [[Judaism]] and [[Islam]]. Performing acts of mercy as a component of religious beliefs is also emphasized through actions such as the giving of alms, and care for the sick and [[Works of Mercy]].▼
|1={{cite book|last1=Sarat|first1=Austin|last2=Hussain|first2=Nasser|title=Forgiveness, mercy, and clemency|year=2006|isbn=0-8047-5333-4|pages=1–5|publisher=Stanford University Press }}
|2={{cite book|last=Menke|first=Christopher|title=Reflections of equality|year=2006|isbn=0-8047-4474-2|page=193|publisher=Stanford University Press }} }}</ref>
▲In the social and legal context, mercy may refer both to compassionate behavior on the part of those in power (e.g. mercy shown by a judge toward a convict), or on the part of a humanitarian third party, e.g., a mission of mercy aiming to treat war victims.<ref name=Sarat >Sarat, Austin and Hussain, Nasser. ''Forgiveness, mercy, and clemency'', 2006 {{ISBN|0-8047-5333-4}} pp. 1-5</ref><ref name=Menke>Menke, Christopher. ''Reflections of equality'' by Christoph Menke 2006 {{ISBN|0-8047-4474-2}} p. 193</ref>
==Definition==
"Mercy" can be defined as "compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power"; and also "a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion."<ref>
==Law and ethics==
[[File:Spirit of Compassion.jpg|thumb|150px|The ''Spirit of Compassion'', commemorating [[World War I]], [[National War Memorial (South Australia)|South Australia]], 1931]]
In a judicial context mercy is often termed "clemency". It is a sovereign prerogative that resides in the executive and is entirely discretionary. [[John Locke]] defined it as "the power to act according to discretion, for the public good, without the prescription of the Law, and sometimes even against it."<ref>{{cite book|last=Locke
==Religions==
▲The concept of a merciful God appears in various religions, including [[Hinduism]], [[Christianity]], [[Judaism]], and [[Islam]]. Performing acts of mercy as a component of religious beliefs is also emphasized through actions such as the giving of alms,
===Christianity===
{{Bibleverse|Hebrews
{{see also|Works of Mercy}}▼
▲Hebrews 4:16 says, "So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help."<ref>Hebrews 4:16, NAB</ref> Grace and mercy are similar in that both are free gifts of God and both are dispensed absent any merit on the part of the recipient. Grace is the favor of God, a divine assistance. Grace is what one receives that they do not deserve while mercy is what one receives when they do ''not'' get that which they deserve.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/03/17/what-is-the-difference-between-mercy-and-grace/ Wellman, Jack. "What Is The Difference Between Mercy and Grace?"], ''Patheos'', March 17, 2104</ref>
An emphasis on mercy appears in the [[New Testament]], for example in the [[Magnificat]]
[[Psalm 117]] calls upon all nations to praise the Lord
This devotional element of mercy as part of the Christian tradition was echoed by [[Saint Augustine]] who called mercy "ever ancient, ever new".<ref name=Mauriello149 >
====Roman Catholicism====
{{see also|Divine Mercy}}
[[File:Kazimirowski Eugeniusz, Divine Mercy, 1934.jpg|thumb|180px|The first ''[[Divine Mercy image]]'' (
In the encyclical ''[[Dives in misericordia]]'' ("Rich in Mercy") [[Pope John Paul II]]
The [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]] emphasizes the importance of the [[Works of Mercy]].
Mercy has also been an important subject of Christian [[iconography]]. Since the [[Middle Ages]], many representations in art encouraged people to practice the [[works of mercy]] and, as the art historian [[Ralf van Bühren]] explains using the example of [[Caravaggio]], helped "the audience to explore mercy in their own lives".<ref>
In the 20th century, there was new focus on mercy in the Roman Catholic Church, partly due to the [[Divine Mercy]] devotion.<ref name=Withyou548 /><ref name=Ball175 >{{cite book|first=Ann|last=Ball|year=2003|title=Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices|isbn=0-87973-910-X|page=175|publisher=Our Sunday Visitor }}</ref><ref name=Butler >{{cite book|title=Butler's lives of the saints: the third millennium|first1=Paul|last1=Burns|first2=Alban|last2=Butler|year=2001|isbn=978-0-86012-383-5|page=252|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic }}</ref> The primary focus of the Divine Mercy devotion is the merciful love of God and the desire to let that love and mercy flow through one's own heart towards those in need of it.<ref name=Ball175
[[Pope John Paul II]] was a follower of the Divine Mercy devotion, due to Saint [[Mary Faustina Kowalska]] (1905–1938), who is known as the ''[[Faustina Kowalska|Apostle of Mercy]]''.<ref name=Butler >''Butler's lives of the saints: the third millennium'' by Paul Burns, Alban Butler 2001 {{ISBN|978-0-86012-383-5}} page 252</ref><ref name=Drake85 >''Saints of the Jubilee'' by Tim Drake 2002 {{ISBN|978-1-4033-1009-5}} pages 85-95</ref>▼
▲
the [[Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Krakow)|Basilica of Divine Mercy]] in Krakow Poland, and the [[National Shrine of The Divine Mercy (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)]].<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_07061997_sr-faustina_en.html Vatican website: Shrine of Divine Mercy]</ref> During the dedication of the Basilica of Divine Mercy John Paul II quoted [[Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul|the Diary of Faustina]] and called mercy the "greatest attribute of God Almighty".<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20020817_shrine-divine-mercy_en.html Vatican website: Dedication of the Shrine of Divine Mercy]</ref>▼
▲A number of Roman Catholic [[shrines]] are specifically dedicated to Divine Mercy, e.g. the [[Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Krakow)|Basilica of Divine Mercy]] in Krakow Poland, and the [[National Shrine of The Divine Mercy (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)]].<ref>
The first ''World Apostolic Congress on Mercy'' was held in Rome in April 2008 and was inaugurated by [[Pope Benedict XVI]].<ref name=Mauriello149 /><ref>{{multiref2
On 11 April 2015, at St. Peter's Basillica, in a Papal Bull of Indiction entitled ''Misericordiae Vultus'' ("The Face of Mercy"), [[Pope Francis]] proclaimed a Special and Extraordinary Holy Year [[Jubilee (Christianity)|Jubilee Year]] of Mercy, from December 8, 2015: [[Solemnity]] of the [[Immaculate Conception]] of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]], until November 21, 2016: the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus [[Christ the King]].<ref>[http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/bulls/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html Pope Francis, ''Misericordiae Vultus'', April 11, 2015, Libreria Editrice Vaticana]</ref> The theme of the Extraordinary Jubilee is taken from Luke 6:36, "Merciful, Like the Father".<ref>[http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-declares-2016-to-be-a-jubilee-for-mercy-84325/ Harris, Elise. "Pope Francis declares Holy Year for Mercy", Catholic News Agency, March 13, 2015]</ref>▼
|1={{Cite web |url=http://www.zenit.org/article-22184?l=english |title=Benedict XVI Inaugurates 1st Mercy Conference |date=April 2, 2008 |website=Zenit|access-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407083540/http://www.zenit.org/article-22184?l=english |archive-date=April 7, 2008 |url-status=dead }}
|2={{Cite web |title=Cardinal calls mercy a grace that points out sin, provides healing|last=Wooden|first=Cindy|url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801799.htm |website=Catholic News Service |date=April 3, 2008 |access-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330191223/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801799.htm |archive-date=March 30, 2012 |url-status=dead}} }}</ref>
▲
===Islam===
In [[Islam]] the title "Most Merciful" (
===Judaism===
The Hebrew word for mercy is
Mercy is one of the defining characteristics of [[God]]. {{Bibleverse|Exodus
When [[David]], because of his sin, was told to choose between a three-year famine, pursuit by his enemies for three months, or a three-day pestilence, he chose the pestilence saying, "Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful; but let me not fall by the hand of man."
===Other religions and beliefs===
[[Kwan Yin]] the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion, is one of the best known and most venerated [[Bodhisattva]] in Asia.<ref>
{{transliteration|sa|[[Karuṇā]]}} (often translated as "compassion") is part of the beliefs of
The spiritual teacher [[Meher Baba]] described God as being "all-merciful and eternally benevolent" in his [[Parvardigar Prayer|O Parvardigar]] prayer, and he held that we can approach God through the "invocation of His mercy."<ref>{{cite book|last=Kalchuri
==Quotes==
* "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice." ―[[Abraham Lincoln]]<ref name=goodreads>[http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/mercy "Quotes About Mercy", Goodreads]</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2023}}
* "For children are innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy." ―[[G.K. Chesterton]]<ref name=goodreads/>{{better source needed|date=August 2023}}
* "You cannot conceive, nor can I, of the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God." ―[[Graham Greene]], ''[[Brighton Rock (novel)|Brighton Rock]]''<ref name=goodreads/>{{better source needed|date=August 2023}}
* "'What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!' Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity." ―[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''<ref name=goodreads/>{{better source needed|date=August 2023}}
==Literature==
* In [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s ''[[The Quality of Mercy (Shakespeare quote)|The Merchant of Venice]]'', [[Portia (The Merchant of Venice)|Portia]], disguised as young lawyer Balthazar, begs Shylock to show mercy to her client Antonio:<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gk1wthOVvIwC&pg=PA150|title=The Merchant of Venice|year=2010|publisher=[[Modern Library]]|
{{quote|
The quality of mercy is not strain'd.<br />
Line 80 ⟶ 82:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.}}
* In [[O. Henry]]'s ''[[A Retrieved Reformation]]'', safecracker Jimmy Valentine betrays his identity and burglary skills in order to free a child accidentally trapped in a bank vault. A detective who has been pursuing him witnesses Valentine crack the safe. As Valentine subsequently surrenders, the detective pretends not to recognize him and walks away.<ref>{{cite book |
==See also==
{{
{{wikiquote}}
* {{annotated link|Christian universalism}}
* {{annotated link|[[Clementia]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[
* {{annotated link|[[
* {{annotated link|[[Virgin of Mercy]]}}
== References ==
{{Reflist
{{Virtues}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Attributes of God in Christian theology]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Theories of law]]
[[Category:Punishments]]
[[Category:Virtue]]
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